“I’m annoyed by something that I see daily at Southeast 182nd Avenue and Division Street in Gresham. When things get busy and traffic backs up, impatient drivers cut through gas stations or the Dollar Tree parking lot near the intersection to avoid stoplights. Isn’t this illegal in Oregon?”

Depends on where the rubber meets the road.

Yes, in Gresham, the practice is banned, even when you’re feeling the wrathful health benefits of bran muffins. Jimmy Law calls it “using private property to avoid a traffic control device” – a $250 ticket.

But surprisingly, not all Oregon cities have outlawed these traffic cheats (I call them “corner cutters”).

Legislators have never passed a state statute to cite corner cutters. So, it’s up to cities to go after them with local ordinances. Many – including Beaverton, Hillsboro and Tigard – have done that.

But Portland and Oregon City are among the places where zipping through parking lots to get ahead of traffic is still perfectly legal.

“As long as you signal before entering the lot, and drive at a safe speed – and stop and signal before leaving on the other side,” said Portland Traffic Division Capt. Todd Wyatt said, “it’s OK.”

Kooky, huh?

Sure, a lot of us have felt the temptation of the parking-lot entrance when we’re running late or tired.

But why add chaos to what is supposed to be a predictable environment for motorists and pedestrians? Parking lots are designed for people driving at a slow groove as they pull in and out of spaces, not for through-traffic.

University of Hawaii psychologist Leon “Dr. Driving” James said corner cutters are suckers for “the law of perceived least effort.”

The time savings of this risky maneuver are a “strong illusion,” he said. The price of trimming a minute or two from your commute could be a nasty crash resulting in a lawsuit or worse. “Nearly 4,000 pedestrians were killed in the United States last year,” James said, “many of them in situations just like this.”

“I recently encountered a bicyclist riding in a crosswalk that I and other pedestrians were using to cross Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard in Portland. I politely told him that he needs to walk his bike in crosswalks. He responded by flipping me the bird. Can you remind bicycle riders about this rule?”

I have to ask: Who’s was ruder in this situation?

The bicyclist with the potty finger? Or the person who, no matter how politely, basically made up a traffic law on the spot and shouted it out?

Yeah, probably the bicyclist.

Still, unless the pedaler flew recklessly through the crosswalk, you should have kept mum. Under Oregon law, bicyclists can ride in crosswalks as long as they go no faster than a “walking speed.” Yes, even in downtown Portland –where the prohibition on sidewalk riding oddly doesn’t extend to crosswalks.

Still, I’ll remind my biking friends to keep things slow and steady while mingling with walkers in marked crossings. And try to keep those fingers safely on the handlebars.